Long-time readers might recall some previous posts of mine on how “Long weekends with small children are not relaxing.” The kids have been done with school since mid-day yesterday. This morning has already featured a lot of whining for the time-limited screens. The dog is barking like crazy because there are workmen coming in and out and the wind is howling (I think this is what he is barking at… kind of hard to know).
For all the howling cold wind today, it was really nice yesterday. In the 60s! I took my older boys out for lunch (since they had a virtual half day) at a nearby Mexican spot. We were able to eat outside on the patio. The van did start, both going there and (more critically) for the trip home. This has not been in any way guaranteed. It is in the shop today so hopefully that will be fixed.
In that balmy 60 degree February air, the kids rode bikes and jumped on pogo sticks and an older child did some archery practice, but that took about an hour. There are a great many more hours before school starts up on Tuesday morning.
Anyway, there are more things coming up eventually. Today, I am trying to get stuff done. Along with the usual work stuff I’m constructing the summer camp spreadsheet. The younger kids are fairly straightforward — there are a lot of camps — but the 14-year-old (who will be 15 this summer) is proving a bit more complicated. He was thinking of doing our district’s summer school but the class he wanted to take may not be offered. He has been really mixed on the idea of going away from home for camp, so I’m trying to find what is offered at our local universities for high schoolers. And I’ve asked him to do some research but we will see what comes of that.
In the meantime I’ve been reading some old P.J. O’Rourke material. He was always one of my favorite writers — someone whose byline made you know it was likely to be good. Hearing about his death made me quite sad this week, even if re-reading his work made me laugh. His was a level of craft to aspire to.
Speaking of which, it has taken me 90 minutes to write these paragraphs in between distractions. I got a call from the project manager at the other house (that we are selling, and agreed to do some work on) and I had to go solve something there. Devoting more time to my craft is on my current aspiration list. Someday…
Photo: From the Mexican restaurant patio yesterday
Is there perhaps a camp where your soon to be 15 year old can be a volunteer jr counselor? My daughter worked around 30 hours a week last summer as a volunteer at the Ninja warrior camp offered by her Karate studio and she absolutely loved it. Got her out of the house like a day camp and was fun with her fellow coworkers but she did actually have to work. Texas allows kids to work as young as 15 so she will be a paid employee at the camp this summer. She’s also going to do a 2-week condensed class at the community college and maybe a sleep away camp for a week. But I think she and I are both most looking forward to her working.
@Calee – we are definitely looking at some CIT options for kids his age. That would be a good way to volunteer and do something fun.
Maybe your oldest should just think about volunteering instead of doing camps! Looks better on college applications! I volunteered at the local hospital every weekday of the summer when I was 14 and 15. (Then got a job as a day camp counselor at 16.)
@Caitlin- I think volunteering would be a good idea – we are working on a plan…